The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

Freedom of Information Act

Please note this Trust is a mental health and community care Trust and does not provide acute services including A&E, maternity, radiological or surgical services. As such we will not be able to answer requests regarding these types of services.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) was passed on 30 November 2000. The Act gives a general right of access to all types of 'recorded' information held by the Trust. It sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on the Trust. The Act came into force in January 2005.

People already have the right to access information held about themselves under the Data Protection Act 1998. This is known as 'subject access' request. The FOIA extends these rights to allow people to request access to non-personal information held by the Trust. However the Trust will not be required to release information to which an exemption applies, i.e. information may not be released if it would prejudice national security or law enforcement. The Act gives applicants two related rights:

The right to be told whether the information exists

The right to receive the information

The Act places a duty on the Trust to adopt and maintain a publication scheme approved by the Information Commissioner. The scheme sets out the type of information the Trust publishes, the form of information published, and explains any charges that may apply.

If you would like to know more or wish to make a request for information, please contact the Information Governance Team, at:

Contents:

1. Who we are and what we do

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust was established in April 2002 and authorised as a Foundation Trust on 1st December 2007. Formerly a mental health Trust, Lancashire care acquired community services from neighbouring PCTs in June 2011.

The Trust provides health and wellbeing services for a population of around 1.5million people. The services provided include community nursing, health visiting and a range of therapy services including physiotherapy, podiatry and speech & language. Wellbeing services provided include smoking cessation and healthy lifestyle services. The Trust still specialises in inpatient and community mental health services.

Our website lists the main sites from where we provide services together with their contact details - Services

How we fit into the NHS structure

Lancashire Care is an NHS Foundation Trust. Our website describes what an NHS Foundation Trust is and the benefits of Foundation Trust status - What is a foundation Trust

Lancashire Care provides services across a number of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). These CCGs commission Lancashire Care to provide services on their behalf. The NHS North West's principal role is to take a lead in ensuring that local NHS services are of world class quality and are performing well for the benefit of people right across the North West. More information about the NHS can be found at www.england.nhs.uk

Organisational structure

Lancashire Care has a Board of Directors comprising Non-Executive and Executive Directors. The website contains profiles of the Board members - Trust Board

The Trust also has a Council of Governors and their profiles are available on the website - CoG

The Trust's services are managed through four networks:

Children & Young People's Wellbeing Network

Community Health & Wellbeing Network

Corporate

Mental Health

Lists of and information relating to organisations with which the authority works in partnership

The Trust works closely in partnership with Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackpool Council. Its adult and older people's community mental health teams are integrated with social care. The Trust also works closely with its commissioning CCGs and a number of voluntary agencies across Lancashire.NHS organisations, Social Care and third sector e.g. voluntary partners across the North West are committed to the sharing of information in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). This means personal and sensitive information will only be shared on a need to know basis and it will be kept safe, secure and confidential. Many organisations have already signed up to a suite of Information Sharing Agreements (ISAs), the first of those documents being a high level Information Sharing Agreement referred to as Tier 0. A copy of the list of organisations already signed up to it can be found in the attached document. This list is updated regularly as more organisations sign up to the agreement.

In addition there is also a Tier 1 document that provides greater detail about the organisations commitment to DPA 1998 and a Tier 2 document that is a local operational document between sharing organisations. Tier 2 sets out the purpose of why the data is being shared and the specific data that is required or to be accessed.

In the North West there has recently been established an Information Sharing Portal, which is a website that organisations will be able to access to store existing ISAs, use Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to determine the legitimacy of new information sharing proposals, and if deemed legitimate, to create and authorise new information sharing arrangements.

Senior staff and management board members

Biographical details for Board members are already available on the Trust's website as highlighted earlier:Trust Board

2. What we spend and how we spend it

The Trust makes information available about the sources of and state of its finances. In certain circumstances information intended for future publication, audit material, personal information, commercial or confidential information and criminal and regulatory investigative material or law enforcement material may be exempt from publication. Considerable information can be found on the Trust website and that of its regulator, Monitor.

In particular Monitor provides information on the following topics in relation to Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust:

Members of the Board of Governors

Directors

Terms of Authorization - The Trust's Constitution

Annual Report and Accounts

Forward Planning

Formal Interventions - Section 52

Risk rating

Please click here to be taken to the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust section of Monitor's website where you can view the above topics.

The Trust has provided considerable information in its plans, report and accounts, which are provided on both the Trust and Monitor websites, but the Trust would draw attention to the following:

Annual Report and Accounts

Copies are available by clicking here, the Monitor websites or can be obtained through the contacts below.

Budgets and Variances

Financial Performance is detailed in the Trusts Annual plan details of which can be found on both Lancashire Care and Monitor websites. Copies are available on both Lancashire Care and Monitor websites or can be obtained can be obtained through the contacts below.

Financial Audit Report

Audit opinions are available in the Annual Accounts. Details of audit reports can be requested through the contacts below.

Capital Investment

Funding

Details of how the Trust is funded and its commissioners are included in the Trust's Annual Report and Accounts and in the Trust Annual Plan, see above.

Procurement

The Trust uses the NHS Supply Chain for the purchasing of equipment and supplies. NHS Supply Chain are working closely with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) to deliver the £300m of procurement efficiencies that were highlighted in Lord Carter's interim report: Review of operational efficiency in NHS providers. NHS Supply Chain was formed from the NHS Logistics Authority and parts of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA). For more information about NHS Supply Chain click here

Where appropriate, the Trust will advertise tenders for goods or services through the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC)procedures. The website for OJEC is www.ojec.com. We will use this Publication Scheme to publish some background information relating to the tenders and major contracts sought and awarded by the Trust. Items not included will be those where a commercial issue or issue of confidentiality is involved.

Staff pay and grading structures

Staff pay and grading structures are in line with national 'agenda for change' terms and conditions, with the exception Junior Doctors, who are governed by the national Junior Doctors contract, and Consultants, who are governed by the national Consultant Contract.

Staff and Board members' allowances and expenses

Staff allowances and expenses are in line with the national terms and conditions outlined above. More specific details are available on request.

Finance Contacts

The Director of Finance, Bill Gregory, has corporate responsibility for the oversight of the Trust’s finances. Bill's office can be contacted at Lancashire Care NHS Trust HQ, Sceptre Point, Sceptre Way, Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge, Preston PR5 6AW or at bill.gregory@lancashirecare.nhs.uk or by telephone on (01772) 695304.Websites

3. What are our priorities and how are we doing

Annual Report and Annual Plan

4. How we make decisions

Board papers - agenda, supporting papers and minutes

The Board of Directors meets monthly. Board agendas and papers will be available from January 2009 on the Internet. They will clearly state whether any item is exempt under FOI and the nature of that exemption. Minutes, excluding those FOI exemptions, will be available once they have been confirmed at the following Board meeting.

Council of Governors' meetings

The Council of Governors meet quarterly and agenda, papers and minutes are available here

Patient and public involvement strategy (PPI)

The Trust is currently reviewing its patient and public involvement strategy as well as developing a membership involvement and engagement strategy. Once finalised, these documents will be available on the website.

5. Our policies and procedures

All Equality Impact Assessments (EIA's) are now carried out on all Trust activities including policies, procedures and service developments. The Trust has adopted the Department of Health Equality Delivery System (EDS) and the Trust carries out two scrutiny events per year with stakeholders. The results of the first scrutiny event are available on the Trust website. The second set of results will be available after November 2012. The Trust has published its evaluation of the Single Equality Scheme 2008-2011 and Equality and Diversity Statement of Intent 2015-2020. For more information please visit the Trust’s Equality and Diversity page.

Being reviewed:

Mobile Communications Devices Policy

Access to Health Records Policy - under review

Estate management

The Trust has a Property Services Department who is responsible for the Trust's buildings and facilities management services. Facility Management (FM) services are provided through direct service contracts, in-house services, a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract and service level Agreements (SLA's) right across the breadth of Lancashire.

Lancashire Care acknowledges that sustainability goes far beyond just obeying legislation and preventing pollution and strongly believes that sustainable practices are a fundamental corporate responsibility. The Property Services Department is the lead for the Trust on sustainability and have developed the Trust's Sustainable Development Management Plan (SDMP) in line with the NHS guidance Saving Carbon Improving Health. The SDMP sets out our commitment and actions towards achieving targets on carbon emissions reduction and the environment. This work included installing low carbon technologies on our new major capital developments including the installation of ground source heat pumps and solar thermal hot water at the new Fellside facility at Guild Park, helping it to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A rating.

Property Services have in place policies covering Legionella, Asbestos and Waste, as well as procedures for the production of Display Energy Certificates in line with Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.

Charging regimes and policies

Most formal requests for information will not incur a fee. If the request costs the Trust less than £450 to process then there will be no fee to pay. However, if the costs are in excess of £450 we will inform you in writing of any costs that you can expect to be charged and give you the option to proceed. Once the fee has been received by the Trust, the request will continue to be processed and the information sent out subject to exemptions where applicable. Charges will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

6. Lists and registers

The Trust is required to maintain a public register of its Foundation Trust members.

The Trust contracts with other NHS Trusts and/or facilities management providers for maintenance and minor improvements. The providers are responsible for ensuring that LCT is aware of its statutory responsibilities in respect of the upkeep and safety of its assets and to provide advice and guidance as to compliance.

The Provider ensures that all contractors are selected and work in accordance within NHS National and local guidelines and standards. The Provider is responsible for ensuring that the contractors understand their obligations in respect of working on LCT property.

List of main contractors / suppliers

Major capital (large schemes) - Typically schemes in excess of £3m are either tendered through the OJEU or use the NHS Procure 21 method of procurement.

Intermediate capital (medium sized schemes) - Typically schemes ranging from £250k to £3m are tendered using contractors selected through Constructionline and consultants from the Trust's Framework agreement. The Framework agreement was tendered through the OJEU and runs from April 2007 for 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

Minor capital (small schemes) - Typically schemes ranging from £5k up to £250k are carried out by contractors from the Trusts Measured Term Contract (MTC). The MTC was tendered using the national schedule of rates to contractors selected from CL and runs from October 2007 for 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

Assets Registers and Information Asset Register

The Trust's property assets are described within its Estates Strategy. This is reviewed and updated on a bi-annual basis.

For a copy of the Register of Gifts & Hospitality provided to Board members and senior personnel please contact Jo Alker, Company Secretary, via 01772 695300.

Register of Interests

Records relating to notifiable interests in the business of the Trust are available on request from the Trust Headquarters. Please contact Jo Alker, Company Secretary, via 01772 695300.

Corporate communications & media releases

All Equality Impact Assessments (EIA's) are now carried out on all Trust activities including policies, procedures and service developments. The Trust has adopted the Department of Health Equality Delivery System (EDS) and the Trust carries out two scrutiny events per year with stakeholders. The results of the first scrutiny event are available on the Trust website. The second set of results will be available after November 2012. The Trust has published it's evaluation of the Single Equality Scheme 2008-2011 and Transformation and Equality; A Statement of Intent will be published in Autumn 2012.